Comments: 1-15, 16-20
Like many other owners of late model AWD Subarus, this car suffers from dreaded Subaru "clutch shudder" when cold. The car vibrates loudly and violently when letting off the clutch for the first few miles each morning. Very annoying on what is supposed to be a premium small sport/cute. Dealer says he's seen it happen before, but claims it never happens when they have my car in for service and feel if they can't replicate the problem they won't fix it. Have also found metal particles in the differential which Subaru rep says is "normal". An acquaintance told me she just had to spend over $2000 for a new automatic trans on her '99 model with approx. 75,000 miles. Many other owners report bad wheel bearings which I have not had a problem with yet...hopefully.
A well-designed little car that's really enjoyable to drive (when the clutch is working correctly!).It's very stable and confidence inspiring in all types of weather. But dealer service is poor and extremely expensive - you can't just get an oil and filter change - you have to spring for the $120 "preventive maintenance" - read oil and filter! Subaru seem to be trying to put me off on doing clutch work until after 36,000 miles when the warranty runs out and I have to pay. I may get rid of the car by then and hope that the supposedly top notch resale value hasn't been hit too badly by then.
Yes it has bad wheel bearing. my forester s premium 01 rear right bearing was replaced at 25k miles and my left one is in the shop now to be replaced at 45k miles. also had multiple computer related problems even tho we replaced the computer when the recall was announced.
Yes, the clutch is definitely a problem. I own a 1998 Forester L, and the clutch judder (especially when the drive train is fully warmed-up) got to be so annoying that I had to have the whole assembly (clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing) replaced at 20K miles Now things are back to normal, but I wonder how long they'll stay this way.
I have a 2001 Forrester and have experienced mild to severe clutch shudder ever since purchase. The dealer pretended to know nothing about it the first 5 or 6 times I brought it in complaining. When I asked them about the tech memo from Subaru, they admitted to knowing about the problem, but claimed I was their only customer complaining about it. When I talked to 3 other owners who had bought their Subarus from the same dealer and were having the same experience and had complained to the dealer repeatedly, I knew they were lying to us all again. I have had the car in many times and they have never been able to reproduce the shudder so they won't do anything about it. I have decided just to grin and bear it. But I have certainly decided I won't ever buy another Subaru and I'll never have any dealings with that dealership again.
We also have had clutch problems with our 2001 Forrester. We got the "clutch judder" after about 20,000 miles. When we brought it in, the dealer claimed there was nothing wrong with the car. Then, at 50,000 miles (after the warranty had run out) they said we need a new clutch to the tune of $1200. Our car has also had a persistent backfire since the very beginning. After taking drives with the mechanic to let them hear it, they tell us is not a problem.
My '01 Forester S has been an overall decent car to drive, but very expensive to maintain. I have seen several problems reported by other commenters on this & other sites:
--Clutch shudder: Although I've driven manual-transmission cars almost exclusively for over 20 years, our Forester S had this problem within the first year we owned it. I blamed myself & thought it must be touchy & that I just needed to learn how it master it better, when in fact (as I learned too late), it was a faulty clutch. It went out at 58K miles, which is WAY early. (Even though I had 60K warranty on power-train, Subaru of N. America insisted that this was a "non-warranty item:" apparently, clutch failure at 58K is something Subaru considers to be within parameters of "normal" performance for its cars.) Cost me $1000 to get clutch replaced at dealer. So many people have reported this clutch shudder that I can't believe it hasn't been a recall item.
--Check-engine light: Has been on almost constantly since we bought the car new. They did a recall-replacement within the first year, but that didn't solve the problem for more than a week or so. Now, at 81K, my Sub. dealer tells me it means I need a new catalytic converter. (So does this mean my converter has been bad from the start? Subaru sure hasn't done a recall on converters.) However, my emissions tests have been fine, and my mileage is same (22mpg on avg.) as when car was new, in mostly city driving, so it's not bad & not getting worse. From some comments I've seen on other boards, seems the problem might not be the converter (which the Sub. dealership wants to charge me $1200 to replace), but possibly an exhaust-gasket that needs replacing. Anyway, I'm not trusting this dealership to replace my cat. converter, but instead, I'm going to check with a non-affiliated mechanic re: the exhaust gasket.
--Wheel bearing failure: I'm getting bearings on one wheel replaced at 81K miles, at cost of about $400, but from what I've seen about other Subaru owners' experiences with wheel bearings on various boards, I almost feel fortunate that it did not fail earlier than this.
If this were the early 1980s, I'd have been happy for this kind of performance, and to have a car that lasted 6 years & didn't rust out & still ran well. But it's a quarter-century later, and I feel that Subaru must be coasting on its reputation a bit; and after having an excellent experience with a '91 Nissan Sentra that needed no major repairs except a clutch in 127K miles (before I had to sell it prior to an overseas deployment), I feel that I'd be foolish not to look at other manufacturers who may be more competitive on maintenance & upkeep costs & who may be more willing than Subaru has been to acknowledge defects & stand behind their products without passing the costs on to their customers. //
08/16/2006 - I just test drove a 2003 Forester 5-SPD with 57K. Immediately I noticed the clutch judder as I took off. Also I noticed the clutch pedal stayed way down by the floor and was stiff. I immediately suspected there is a clutch pressure plate issue.
Later as I researched forester reliability issues I found the following on consumerguide.com:
1. Clutch: The clutch pedal may stick or not come all the way back up, or it may feel spongy requiring replacement of the slave cylinder and hydraulic hose. (1998-03)
2. Clutch: If the clutch chatters during cold temperatures, but improves as the vehicle is driven, the clutch plate, pressure plate and flywheel need to be replaced. (2003) }
I later called a local dealer service department and asked about this. The service person said he had never seen this issue before, but is sounds like a clutch issue and would probably cost around $1500.00.
Michael
Dallas, TX.
What about rear wheel bearings going out repeatedly...4 times in 7 years. The guy at Suabru Hawaii said this was normal wear and tear. I don't think so. Can anyone help me? Has anyone had this problem as well. Diane.
I'm in the process of getting my left rear bearing replaced. The Subaru dealer told me they now replace the Forrester bearing with Legacy bearings. The Forrester bearings don't seem to hold up as well as the Legacy bearings. My Forrester is a 1999, this is the second time I have had to have the bearings replaced. I guess I'm lucky since I have 195k miles. Seems like the time to sell it and replace it with something a little more dependable.
My gf had a '99 Forester base model. She bought it used with about 20k miles on it. The first set of rear wheel bearings went out at about 35k. (It makes a terrible grating-type noise when this happens for anyone who's wondering.) The second set went out at 60k. With a little strong-arming, the dealer also agreed to replace those "under warranty" even though the warranty was up. She then sold the car, worried that it was a lemon. The dealer mechanic told us the wheel bearings on all these Forester models were a problem.
I am now researching '04 and above Foresters b/c my gf now says she wants another Forester. (Hopefully they have fixed these issues.) She has an '03 Suzuki XL-7 right now and wants something that gets better mileage... and despite the problems she had with her Forester, she wants another one. So I think that is a plus for this vehicle. It sounds like you have to be somewhat careful though, as getting a "good one" is not guaranteed to the extent it is with a Honda or Toyota.
I have a 2002 Forrester. Both rear bearings were replaced at 75k (no warranty). I have just replaced the passenger rear bearing again at 180k and the other side is starting to make noise (no warranty). I have been told by the dealer that there is nothing that can be done to correct this problem.
I also have been told that my all wheel drive is not working properly and that repairs have to be made to the transfer case. I am not sure how long it has not been working, but apparently this is a normal wear occurrence. Cost will be about $1500 Canadian (no warranty).
Generally I have been happy with the performance of the car, but these expensive repairs are disturbing.
Though I expect repairs at 180k, the bearings have been a constant irritant and I would have expected the drive train to last longer.
I won't be rushing to buy another Forrester.
I have a 1999 Subaru Forester S and the major issues I've had with the car are:
* Tire wear was ridiculous, had to replace after 1 year. I had the suspension checked and alignment and dealership keeps advising that there are no issues.
* Oxygen sensor had to be replaced - no warranty
* Wheel bearings had to be replaced 2x - no warranty. They blamed my winter tires that may be causing the failure. I wonder if Subaru should compensate us. They don't have any mileage warranty on these bearings.
* Radiator broke - no warranty.
It's disappointing that even when this car was built in Japan that all these problems arise. I've been waiting for the day I can afford to get a new replacement, but that'll be a few years. For now, I'll just have to save up for those rainy days.
Hello, I am considering purchasing a 01 Forester S, 125K miles, Going for $6900, blue book says it should go for $11,000 retail. It seems that there are plenty of things for me to spend the money I'd be saving on like the bearings and the clutch. Ya know that saying: "if it's too good to be true, it probably is", would this car fall into that category? I really like the looks of this car. I like the space in the back. I like the visibility. And I'd like the cheap payments on it. so if you have any advice for me Let me know. Thanks.
I own a 2001 Subaru Forester L, and it has 83,000 miles on it. I live in Alaska, so the winters are pretty hard on it. The only thing I've had to replace are valve cover gaskets at 75k, cost around &200 bucks. Not too bad. Compared to other vehicles, seems to me like people want everything. For instance, someone complained earlier about replacing wheel bearings at 135k miles. Most US cars aren't even on the road after 100k. Oh and forget about selling them with more than 50k on them. A Subaru is a good investment. In fact I just bought another Subaru Forester, brand new.
2001 Forester L - Purchased used in Feb. 2007 with 53k miles.
Driver Side Rear Wheel bearing had to be replaced at a cost of $450. Now that I know what a bad wheel bearing sounds like, I can hear one (or more) of the others are going bad. I will approach Subaru and see what they will (or won't) do about it. I paid for one, I think they should pay for the next one.
Rear windshield washer sprayer does not work. Dealer said it already had one warranty repair for that back in 2002.
The OEM cd player forward/previous buttons do not work for the cd, you have to hit the scan button to go to the next track, forward only.
High wind noise, probably from the roof rack and high profile.
Bad cupholders in the front, cover the hvac controls.
Sometimes, at mid day, it turns over about 4-5 cycles before the engine starts, although it starts right up in the morning.
Throttle is jumpy in low range, just barely tapping it lunges the car forward.
Brakes are spongy.
Handles great, the power is nice. The design, style, and utility are excellent and unique. Drives like a sports car, and maybe as such is more repair prone than a Toyota, which apparently now owns a stake in Subaru, so hopefully the quality will improve.
Will keep you posted on the SOA response to my wheel bearings.
I own a 2001 Forr S series.
Bought the car with 40K miles on it.
So far I have replaced the head gaskets @ 110K.
And now I'm looking at wheel bearings. @ 118K.
Love the car.